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+--- Forum: Remembering the Kanji (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-7.html)
+--- Thread: Frames 445/447 (/thread-668.html)
Frames 445/447 - narafan - 2007-07-16
Having a bit of trouble with North (445) and Compare (447).
I'm completely lost on the meanign of the primitives on the left side of each kanji.
Heisig refers to them as "two".
I thought the left primitive on 445 was a type of "turtle" thing without the extra curve.
Can someone please explain those primitives on the left side of 445 and 447 mean and what kanji they're from. Heisig never introduces them as individual primitives. (As far as I can remember!)
Please help and thankyou!
Frames 445/447 - shaydwyrm - 2007-07-16
I think by "two" Heisig was referring to how, in both cases, the primitive on the left is a duplication of the primitive on the right - in 北, the one on the left is reversed. The "backwards spoon" as far as I can remember only appears in 北 (and other characters including 北), so you can just remember that whole deal as "north". Also be sure to note that the handwritten strokes look different from the printed strokes for 北.
For 比, the transformation of the "spoon" on the left is pretty common, and can be seen in 微 (the legs at the bottom) and 競 (the "teenager" on the left), to give just a couple examples. What always trips me up, though, is that it doesn't occur in 傾 or 頑. Thus far I haven't thought of a way to remember in which characters the hook gets abbreviated and in which it does not.
Frames 445/447 - yawfosu88 - 2007-07-16
When I need to remember that the primitive is distorted on the left, I think of it as jagged or a crinkled version of itself. For instance when the primitive for soil is distorted I think of it as jagged clay soil as opposed to regular soil. If the primitive for cow is distorted, I imagine it as a sort of pixelated cow as if it was made from lego bricks or something instead of a regular cow.
Frames 445/447 - narafan - 2007-07-16
Thanks all!
Much appreciated, helped alot.
